August 15, 2014

A Midday Brew at Midnight Brewery

This past Saturday I confirmed the veracity of this formula with a visit to Midnight Brewery, a locally-owned and operated microbrewery in eastern Goochland County. Although relatively young to the craft brewing scene, Midnight has already established a local reputation for flavorful, great-tasting beers, with two beers in particular - Not My Job, a Southern English Brown Ale, and Christmas at Midnight, a spiced ale - capturing my birthday taste buds.

As we cozied up to the bar for a tasting, my attention was first drawn to the F.D.T., a Hefeweizen with a 5% alcohol content. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of wheat beers, and having recently returned from a two-week stint in Germany, I was eager to compare the F.D.T. with German Hefeweizens.

The F.D.T. did not disappoint, but it didn't blow me away either. It had a golden, honey-colored tone and a good-sized head, which faded quickly. Compared to a Paulaner Hefeweizen or Erdinger Weissbier, though, it wasn't cloudy enough and lacked a more vibrant wheat-punch. The wheat was more of an accessory rather than principal flavor, making the F.D.T. light-tasting for a hefeweizen. However, for a comfortably warm day, it was a refreshing summer brew, and I must admit I prefered Midnight's F.D.T. to Hardywood's HYPE wheat beer.

Two F.D.T.s, Christmas at Midnight, Not My
Job & Rockville Red!

Luckily, Midnight had more than just the F.D.T. on tap. As my friend couldn't stop praising her Christmas at Midnight spiced ale, I opted for a taste... and was sold. Featuring a warm, reddish-brown color with a fragrant scent of cinnamon, the Christmas at Midnight beer is a semi-sweet beer that's absolutely magical on a summer day, and probably equally so if paired with Christmas cookies on a snowy night!

Finally, I stole a taste of Midnight's Southern English Brown Ale with the tongue-in-cheek moniker of "Not My Job." The name is not the only intriguing thing about this beer, which is medium-bodied and drops hints of chocolate and coffee in every sip. I've never gravitated towards dark beers, thinking they were all as thick and bitter as Guinness, so both Not My Job and the Christmas at Midnight beers surprised me - in a great way!

Enjoying the picnic table seating.

Midnight Brewery has all the trappings of a good micro-brewery: a solid and varying line-up of beers, a convenient location (just west of the ever-expanding Short Pump), and an owner and brewer passionate about producing quality beer. Prices are average for the craft beer scene (hovering around $5 per cup), and food trucks make regular appearances on the weekends. Midnight Brewery has already created quite a buzz within the community and was awarded the honor of concocting the official beer for this year's State Fair of Virginia: the Virginia Midway, touted as a wheat and pale malt beer and featuring local honey as an ingredient (you can read the Times-Dispatch article about it here). With a move into a larger facility slotted to happen soon, the sky's the limit for Midnight Brewery, and I look forward to seeing what other tasty brews they create in the future.

I love trying new beers! I'm very picky about them since I can't stand the taste of hops, though. That's why I love splitting flights with my husband. Usually at least one of us will like each one, so between the two of us, we can finish the whole thing.